Tie rack



Jan. 9, 1951 Filed April 9, 194a INVENTOR 101713 J A evz'rrJofl ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 9, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIE RACK Louis J. Levinson, New York, N. ApplicationApril 9, 1948, Serial No. 20,145

6 Claims. (Cl. 211-89) This invention relates to collapsible racks, especially those suitable for holding neckties and the like.

Briefly, the rack in accordance with the invention comprises a plurality of tie-holding members secured in a row to a supporting plate. These members each comprise a pair of arms pivoted at one end to the plate, one over the other, preferably in resi'ient contact, and being free at the other end. A lug on each arm near the free end facilitates separation of the arms and also improves the spring action of the arms. These lugs preferably extend effectively at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the arms and are tapered toward the end which is pivoted.

The device in accordance with the invention has a wide range of application but is especially adapted for use in storing articles such as ties within a limited space, such as occurs in small wardrobes, trunks and cases. It may be secured to a wall and holds the ties or other articles firmly, without wrinkling, and permits ready access to and replacement of the articles.

The construction of the rack of this invention and the several advantages thereof will be more clearly understood'from the following description considered together with the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is'a view in perspective of the tie rack in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rack of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line iit of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged end view of one of the holding members as seen from the direction of the arrows at line 55 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of, the tiegripping arms.

Referring tothe drawings, the rack comprises a supporting plate I to which are secured a plurality of tie-holding members 2. The supporting plate may be of any suitable materialpreferably of light weight, such as aluminum or a plastic, and should be formed so as to provide a first portion which may be secured to a wall or the like as by screws 8, and a second portion extending therefrom, usually at right angles, to which the tie-holding members are secured. The tie-holding members each comprise a pair of arms 3, l, pivoted at one end to the second-mentioned portion of plate I. As illustrated in the drawing, the arms are secured to the supporting plate by rivets 1 along a row. However, the invention is not limited to the illustrated arrangement because the supporting plate may be curved, or otherwise of a shape different than shown, and the rivets or equivalent'pivoting means need not be in a row. It will be seen that when the arms are closed together, as shown in Fig. 3, the adj acent surfaces of the arms of each pair are in frictional contact.

The tie-holding arms, one of which is clearly shown in Fig. 6, may conveniently be stamped from sheet metal preferably fairly stiff and resilient. Hard aluminum alloy and spring brass are suitable. A part of the arm is bent at right angles to the main bladed portion to form a lug 5. This requires that each pair comprise a righthand arm and a' left-hand arm. The lug may assume any desired shape so long as it provides a portion which may be seized by the finger in separating the arms when a tie is to be removed therefrom. However, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention these lugs are formed as shown especially in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6 wherein they are illustrated as being tapered with the widest portion near the free end of the arm and tapering down substantially to the thickness of the arm material near the pivoted end. This. shape of the lug provides at least two advantages of considerable value. First, the tapered lug prevents snagging or catching any portion of the material or sewing of the tie when it is slid away from the arms, and, second, it provides reinforcement of the arms tending to stiffen them against bending. In using the device the arms are swung apart, as shown in Fig. 2, and a necktie is hung over the lower arm 3. Then when the arms are closed together by squeezing with the fingers, the resiliency of the arms permits them to spring apart slightly to accommodate the tie 6, as illustrated in Fig. 4. After securing the ties as there shown the tie-holding members may, if desired, all be swung on their pivots back toward the supporting plate, as illustrated in Fig. 1, so as to minimize the space required to store the ties. This feature is of particular importance if the rack is used in a small wardrobe or inside of a trunk or in hand luggage. As above pointed out, the device of this invention is particularly suited for use in trunks, cases or the like, because it is at once light in weight, holds the ties separately, securely, and wrinkle-free when stored, all within a minimum of space and yet affords rapid access to the ties and convenience in selecting and replacing them.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated has been described as a tie rack and for the sake of clarity the claims are directed to a tie rack, but

it will be evident that the rack of the invention is not limited to holding ties inasmuch as it is adapted to hold many other things. Furthermore, in larger sizes, the device is well adapted to hold skirts, trousers or other articles. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited by the foregoing description of a single embodiment thereof, but should be limited only in accordance with the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a tie rack, a supporting plate and a plurality of tie-holding members secured thereto, said members each comprising a pair of arms pivoted at one end to said plate, one over the other in contact, and being free at the other end, and a lug on each arm near said "free :end extending substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the arm to facilitate separation of said arms.

2. In a tie rack, a supporting plate and a plurality of tie-gripping members secured in a row to said plate, each of said members comprising a pair of resilient arms pivoted at the same end to said plate, one over the other in resilient contact along one surface of each and being free at the other end to swing on said pivot in relation to each other and to said plate, and finger-hold means on each arm to facilitate the swinging of said arms on said pivot.

3. In a tie rack, a supporting plate and a plurality of tie-gripping members secured to said plate, each of said members comprising a pair of resilient arms pivoted at the same end to said plate, one over the other in resilient contact along one surface and being free at the other end to swing on said pivot in relation to each other and to said plate, and a lug secured to each arm near the free end thereof extending away from said surface to facilitate separation of said arms.

4. In a tie rack, a supporting plate and a plurality of tie-gripping members secured in a row to said plate, each of said members comprising a pair of resilient arms pivoted at the same end to said plate, one over the other in resilient contact along one surface, and being free at the other end to swing on said pivot in relation to each other and to said plate, and a tapered lug formed on each arm, said lug extending along said arm substantially at right angles 4 to said surface, being widest near said free end and tapering substantially to the thickness of said arm near the pivoted end of said arm.

5. In a tie rack, a supporting plate and a plurality of tie-gripping members secured in a row to said plate, each of said members comprising a pair of resilient arms pivoted at the same end to said plate, one over the other in resilient contact along one surface, and being free at the other end to swing on said pivot in relation to each other and to said plate, and a tapered lug formed on the opposite side of each arm, said lug extending along said arm substantially at right angles to said surface, being widest near said free end and tapering substantially to the thickness of said arm nearer the pivoted end of said arm.

6. In a tie rack, an elongated supporting plate comprising two portions disposed at substantially right angles to each other, the first portion of which being adapted to be affixed horizontally along a wall or the like, a plurality of tie-gripping members secured at spaced intervals to the under side of said second portion, each of said members comprising :a pair of resilient arms pivoted at the same end to .said second portion, one over the other in resilient contactalong one surface each, and being free at the other end to swing on said pivot in relation to each other and to said plate, and a tapered lug formed on the opposite side of each arm, [said lug extending along said arm substantially at right angles to said surface, being widest near said free end and tapering substantially to the thickness of said arm near the pivoted end of said arm.

LOUIS J. LEVINSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file 'of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 710,702 Martin Oct. 7, 1902 987,703 Curtin Mar. 28, 1911 1,076,121 'Houck 'Oct. 21, 1913 1,087,450 Knox Feb. 17, 1914 1,634,321 I Couslin July 5, 1927 2,256,887 Beck Sept. 23, 1941 

